The impact of instagram on the body image of adolescents

V magistrskem delu raziskujemo vplive družbenega omrežja Instagram na samopodobo mladostnikov. Družbena omrežja omogočajo medsebojno komunikacijo ljudi, ki delijo delčke svojih življenj skozi internet. Ta pa imajo vpliv na splošno populacijo in tako tudi na mladostnike. Zaradi konstantnega objavljanja ‘’popolnih’’ fotografij posameznic in posameznikov, tako slavnih kot manj slavnih, ki mladostnikom neprestano vsiljujejo nenaravne in nedosegljive lepotne ideale smo se odločili, da raziščemo, v kolikšni meri Instagram kot medij vpliva na telesno samopodobo mladostnikov. Najprej v sklopu teoretičnega dela opredelimo družbena omrežja in motive za njihovo uporabo, nato opišemo samopodobo in samospoštovanje v povezavi z idealizirano telesno samopodobo, predstavimo strukturo in vzdrževanje pozitivne samopodobe pri mladostnikih, ter izpostavimo pozitivne in negativne učinke spletnih družbenih omrežij na samopodobo mladostnikov. V empirični raziskavi, v kateri je sodelovalo 92 anketirancev, s pomočjo spletne ankete proučujemo vpliv Instagrama na telesno samopodobo. Pri tem nas zanima obstoj razlik med spoloma, starostjo mladostnikov, in vpliv preživetega časa na Instagramu v povezavi s samopodobo. Rezultati prikazujejo, da Instagram negativno vpliva na telesno samopodobo mladostnikov. This master’s thesis deals with the impact of social media, Instagram in particular, on the body image of adolescents. Social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook have become ingrained in the lives of countless individuals. With adolescents and young adults, particularly young women, being the primary users of such platforms, it is an important question whether social media use has an impact on their body image and body dissatisfaction. The theoretical part is based on the general definitions of social media, body image, self-esteem and idealized body image in connection to adolescents. Social media usage and Instagram in particular has increased dramatically over the last decade and continues at an incline. This increase in usage of social media, especially Instagram - an only image based platforms, may negatively affect adolescents in regard to their self-confidence and body satisfaction. In the empirical research, which involved 92 adolescents, we investigate the degree of Instagram’s influence on the body image of adolescents. Moreover, we are interested in differences in reference to age, gender and time spent on Instagram among adolescents. The results show Instagram has a negative impact on adolescents.